Gas-based substrate deposition protection

ABSTRACT

A platen supports a substrate on an interior platen region during the deposition of materials such as tungsten, metal nitrides, other metals, and silicides in a chemical vapor deposition (&#34;CVD&#34;) reactor. A deposition control gas composed of a suitable inert gas such as argon or a mixture of inert and reactive gases such as argon and hydrogen is introduced into the CVD reactor. Deposition control gas is preferably introduced through a restrictive opening in a gas orifice surrounding the platen interior region and exits near an edge of the substrate. The restrictive opening accommodates a uniform deposition control gas flow proximate to an edge of the substrate at a pressure greater than reactor pressure near the substrate edge. The deposition control gas substantially prevents process gas access to the substrate edge and backside. In one embodiment, the restrictive opening is formed by placing a restrictive insert within a gas groove surrounding the platen interior region. In another embodiment, the restrictive opening is formed by an exclusion guard substantially uniformly spaced from the edge of the substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 08/294,513, filed Aug. 23, 1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,525; which is a continuation-in-part of and commonly assigned application Ser. No. 08/007,457, filed Jan. 22, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,594; which is a division of application Ser. No. 07/554,225, filed Jul. 16, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to semiconductor processing, and more particularly to the protection of certain portions of wafers during semiconductor processing operations.

2. Description of Related Art

Chemical vapor deposition ("CVD") is a gas reaction process commonly used in the semiconductor industry to form thin layers of material known as films over an integrated circuit substrate. The CVD process is based on the thermal, plasma, or thermal and plasma decomposition and reaction of selected gases. The most widely used CVD films are silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and polysilicon, although a wide variety of CVD films suitable for insulators and dielectrics, semiconductors, conductors, superconductors, and magnetics are well known.

Particulate contamination of CVD films must be avoided. A particularly troublesome source of particulates in the chemical vapor deposition of metals and other conductors such as tungsten, tungsten silicide, and titanium nitride, is the film that forms on the edge and backside of the wafer under certain conditions. For example, if the wafer edge and backside are unprotected or inadequately protected during deposition, a partial coating of the CVD material forms on the wafer edge and backside, respectively. This partial coating tends to peel and flake easily for some types of materials, introducing particulates into the chamber during deposition and subsequent handling steps.

Many approaches have been developed for addressing the problem of material deposition on the wafer backside. In one approach, the material is permitted to form on the backside, but then is removed immediately following the deposition step using an in-situ plasma etch. This approach entails additional process steps and requires additional equipment capabilities, and also affects the flatness of the wafer. In another approach, the wafer is clamped onto a substrate holder in an attempt to seal and isolate the backside region from the CVD gas. An adequate seal tends to be difficult to achieve in practice, and the mechanical motion between the clamp and the wafer itself causes particulates. Yet another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,558, issued Apr. 4, 1989 to Itoh. A substrate support member having the form of a cylinder is provided with a flat bearing surface on which the substrate rests. Three pins protrude from the peripheral edge portion of the bearing surface. The sidewalls of the substrate are insulated from the reactive gases by a cover, which is further provided with a lifted and bent region that surrounds the substrate at the level of the substrate. The lifted and bent region is said to trap the reactive gas on the lateral face of the wafer, thereby preventing a film from being deposited on the wafer backside.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Undesirable deposition of materials on the wafer backside and edge, is diminished or eliminated in the present invention, while good temperature and material deposition uniformity is maintained across the frontside of the wafer. These and other advantages are achieved in an apparatus for supporting a substrate in a process chamber of a chemical vapor deposition reactor which includes a platen and a projecting member. The platen is mounted in the process chamber, and includes a gas orifice defining a periphery of an interior region having a shape substantially coextensive with the shape of the substrate. The interior region also includes a vacuum chuck. The platen also includes an exterior region surrounding the interior region. A projecting member surrounds the interior region, extends from the exterior region to at least the thickness of the substrate, and is uniformly spaced apart from the periphery of the interior region. The projecting member is provided in various forms, including a removable ring and a raised portion of the platen. The gas orifice is provided in various forms, one of which includes a restrictor formed from a ring placed in a groove. In another variation, an additional gas orifice is provided from the top of the projecting member to the groove. The additional gas orifice may be in various forms, including a plurality of evenly spaced holes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts,

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a process chamber for a chemical vapor deposition system, as viewed from above;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the process chamber of FIG. 1 illustrating exclusion guards and an exclusion guard lift assembly;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process chamber of FIG. 1, as viewed from a side;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a platen illustrative of one embodiment of the platens shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the platen of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view through a cross-section of a portion of the platen of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a first exclusion guard embodiment in combination with the platen of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the exclusion guard and platen shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the exclusion guard and platen of FIG. 7 modified to include orifices for venting deposition control gas during wafer processing;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the exclusion guard of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a platen having an integral elevated platform and extension;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of a second exclusion guard and the platen of FIG. 4 having an insert in a gas groove to form a restrictive opening;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the exclusion guard, platen of FIG. 12, and an insert with an exclusion guard and platen modified to include orifices for venting deposition control gas during wafer processing;

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of another platen having an elevated platform;

FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of the platen of FIG. 4 having an insert to form a restrictive opening; and

FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of an exclusion guard and various locations and angles for introducing deposition control gas.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An illustrative reaction chamber of a high pressure chemical vapor deposition ("CVD") apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 from a top cross sectional view, cross sectioned directly above wafer transport mechanism 10 in an "up" position. The process chamber 2 communicates with a load lock chamber 1, from which wafers to be processed are introduced into the process chamber 2, and into which processed wafers are received from the process chamber 2. Chamber gases are exhausted through vent ports 6a-6f. A shaft opening 7 is located adjacent to vent ports 6a-6f. The system for moving wafers from station to station in the process chamber 2 includes pin lift platforms 8a-8c and wafer transport mechanism 10. Platen blocks 14a-14e are not drawn to scale so that other features may be more readily apparent.

FIG. 2 is a top cross sectional view of load lock chamber 1 and process chamber 2 illustrating the employment of an exclusion guard lift assembly 420 suitable for exclusion guarding or unguarding of the wafer process stations 4a-4e in conjunction with exclusion guards 441-445. A circular exclusion guard lift plate 422 is provided with six semi-circular cutout regions 430-435 associated with a load/unload station 5 and the five wafer process stations 4a-4e, respectively. Cutout regions 431-435, which are associated with the process stations 4a-4e, are of a diameter just greater than the diameter of the platen blocks 14a-14e but just less than the outside diameter of the exclusion guards 441-445. The cutout regions 431-435 are designed to engage respectively the five exclusion guards 441-445. The five exclusion guards 441-445 generally represent the exclusion guards discussed below. Cutout regions 431-435, exclusion guards 441-445, and process stations 4a-4e are not drawn to scale so that other features may be more readily apparent.

Typically, all of the process stations 4a-4e are either exclusion guarded or unguarded, although the process stations 4a-4e may be variously exclusion guarded or unguarded as desired merely by mounting or omitting respective ones of the corresponding exclusion guards 441-445. The exclusion guards 441-445 are engaged by the exclusion guard lift plate 422 in any suitable manner. For example, in FIG. 2, the exclusion guards 441-445 are respectively aligned with cutout regions 431-435 and are merely contacted and lifted by the upper surface of the exclusion guard lift plate 422 as the exclusion guard lift plate 422 in conjunction with exclusion guard lift assembly 420 and a spindle lift/rotation mechanism (not shown) rises above the platen block 14a-14e (FIG. 3). The spindle lift/rotation mechanism is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,499, by Van de Ven et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Note that the exclusion guards 441-445 are accessible for cleaning and changing merely by removing the top of the process chamber 2. Note also that no exclusion guard is mounted to the exclusion guard lift plate 422 at cutout region 430, which is associated with the load/unload station 5.

In FIG. 3, wafer process stations 4b, 4c, and 4d are visible in more detail in a side view of the high pressure CVD reaction chamber. Process stations 4b-4d are not drawn to scale so that other features may be more readily apparent. Process station 4c, for example, includes a dispersion head 12c for introducing a process gas or gas mixture over a wafer to be processed; the platen 14c for supporting the wafer to be processed; a pedestal base 16c, which includes a heater for heating platen 14c and indirectly supplying heat to the wafer to be processed; and pin lift platform 8b, which is associated with pins 20c, 21c and 22c (hidden) for lifting and lowering the wafer to be processed in coordination with activation of the wafer transport mechanism 10. Similarly, process station 4b includes gas dispersion head 12b, platen 14b, pedestal base 16b, and pin lift platform 8a in association with pins 20b, 21b and 22b. Similarly, process station 4d includes gas dispersion head 12d, platen 14d, pedestal base 16d, and pin lift platform 8b in association with pins 20d, 21d and 22d (hidden). Also shown in FIG. 3 are a vacuum exhaust port 24, a spindle lift/rotation mechanism 26, and a pin lift mechanism 28, the design of which are well known in the art. Process stations 4a and 4e are preferably similar to process stations 4b-4d. The assembly of the pedestal bases 16a-16e to platens 14a-14e, respectively and the composition of each are fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,499 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741, by van de Ven et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741 is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The exclusion guard lift assembly 420 is mounted within process chamber 2 as shown in FIG. 3. Suitable approaches for coupling the exclusion guard lift assembly 420 in vertical movement with the wafer transport mechanism 10 (FIG. 1), while allowing the exclusion guard lift mechanism to be rotationally static relative to the process stations 4a-4e during rotation of the wafer transport mechanism 10 are described in conjunction with a shroud lift assembly in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,499. U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,499 additionally describes the physical configuration and operation involved in transporting, guarding, and unguarding of the wafers to be processed.

The wafer to be processed is introduced into the process chamber 2 from the load lock chamber 1 at a reduced pressure such as 40 Torr, and is received at an empty load/unload station 5 and lowered onto raised lift pins 20f, 21f and 22f. By coordinating the rotation of wafer transport mechanism 10 and the raising and lowering of the lift pins 20a-20f, 21a-21f, and 22a-22f, the wafers are transported to successive ones of the stations 4a-4e and 5. As the wafer transport mechanism 10 rises toward a level suitable for engaging wafers at the stations 4a-4e and 5, the exclusion guard lift plate 422 also rises, thereby lifting exclusion guards 441-445 to clear the space above the process stations 4a-4e for transport of the wafers. As the wafer transport mechanism 10 lowers from the level suitable for engaging wafers at the stations 4a-4e and 5, the exclusion guard lift assembly 420 also lowers. Note that the motion of lift pins 20a-20f and 22a-22f follows the upward motion movement of transport mechanism 10 and exclusion guard lift assembly 420, and precedes the downward movement of transport mechanism 10 and exclusion guard lift assembly 420. When the wafer at the load/lock station 5, is fully processed, the wafer is removed into the load lock chamber 1.

When the exclusion guard lift assembly 420 is lowered, the exclusion guards 441-445 are deposited on the top of the platens 14a-14e at the respective process stations 4a-4e, thereby exclusion guarding the wafers. The platens 14a-14e represent platens 202, 905, 1102, 1402, and/or 1602, respectively. Various measures may be taken to retain the exclusion guards 441-445 in place. For example, FIG. 2 shows an approach in which the exclusion guards 441-445 are made to be of a suitable weight so that gravity acts to retain the exclusion guards in place.

The physical configuration and operation of the high pressure CVD apparatus of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 and the elements therein are otherwise set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741.

A pedestal base suitable for pedestal bases 16b, 16c and 16d is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741.

When the pins 20a-20f, 21a14 21f, and 22a-22f at the stations 4a-4e and 5 (FIGS. 2 and 3) lower, the wafers to be processed are deposited on respective platens 14a-14e under respective gas dispersion heads 12a-12e. Once the wafers are deposited on the respective platens 14a-14e, the wafers are preferably secured to the respective platens 14a-14e. Several techniques for securing the wafers to a wafer contact on a respective platen may be used. One preferable technique uses a vacuum chuck, for example, a suitable vacuum, for example, a pressure of 20-40 Torr less than the process chamber pressure, is maintained in the vacuum chucks of the respective process stations 4a-4e. The term "vacuum" is used herein in a relative sense to mean a pressure less than another pressure, e.g. the pressure in the vacuum chucks at the respective process stations 4a-4e relative to a pressure in the process chamber 2.

An illustrative platen 200 incorporating a vacuum chuck is shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. The major component of the platen 200 is a circular block 202 of aluminum or other suitable material such as stainless steel. As viewed from the top (FIG. 4), the upper surface of the platen block 202 is provided with 8 vacuum holes 205a-205h from which radial vacuum grooves 206a-206h extend. The end of vacuum line 204, which appears as a central blind hole, lies 0.25 inches below the top surface of platen block 202. The top of vacuum line 204 is 0.32 inches in diameter, and decreases approximately 0.38 inches from the top of vacuum line 204 to a diameter of 0.25 inches. Vacuum line 204 extends through the bottom of platen block 202. The radial grooves 206a-206h are rectangular in cross section, although other shapes are suitable as well, and are 0.118 inches deep and 0.128 inches wide. The eight radial grooves 206a-206h are regularly disposed at forty-five degree angles from one another. Radial grooves 206a-206h intersect concentric annular vacuum grooves 208a, 208b, and 208c and radial vacuum grooves 209a-209q which like the radial grooves 206a-206h are rectangular in cross section and measure 0.118 inches deep and 0.128 inches wide. The outer radius of the inner annular groove 208a is 1.42 inches, the outer radius of the middle annular groove 208b is 2.40 inches, and the outer radius of the outer annular groove 208c is 3.38 inches. The outer radius of annular groove 208c may be increased if desired to contact a wafer backside region contiguous to the edge of a wafer placed on the wafer contact, i.e. a portion of the top surface of platen 200 beneath the wafer positioned on platen 200. Although the diametrical dimensions referred to above are suitable for processing an 8 inch diameter wafer, they may be scaled so as to facilitate the processing of wafers with a variety of diameters.

Referring to FIG. 5, a tube (not shown) is fastened to vacuum line 204 by a suitable fastener and the combined force exerted through the vacuum grooves 206a-206h, 208a-208c, and 209a-209q is sufficient to uniformly and tightly retain a wafer on the platen 200 during processing.

Another well known technique uses electrostatic attraction to secure the wafers to the platens 14a-14e. An electrostatic clamping technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,188 by Briglia, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

An additional technique of securing a wafer to the platens 14a-14e involves placing a wafer on a platen, such as platen 202 without vacuum holes and grooves, and allowing gravity to retain the wafer in place. However, the excellent heat transfer (discussed below) between the wafer and platen achieved with other techniques due to uniform, tight retention, such as the vacuum chuck technique discussed above, is somewhat reduced.

In order to stimulate the deposition of material onto the wafer being processed, heat is provided to the wafer. One method of providing heat to the wafer involves heating each of the respective platens 14a-14e which transfers heat to the wafers sitting respectively thereon. Referring to illustrative platen 200 in FIG. 5, a spiral groove 232 is incorporated into the bottom of platen block 202 to accommodate a heating element, both of which are fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741.

In some deposition operations, and particularly in the CVD deposition of metals and metal compounds such as tungsten, titanium nitride, and suicides, one may wish to exclude deposition of material from the wafer backside and wholly or partially from the wafer edge. One method of achieving this result involves introducing deposition control gas near an edge of a wafer positioned on a platen from within each of the respective platens 14a-14e. The term "deposition control" gas means that the deposition control gas assists in controlling or eliminating chemical vapor deposition of material on certain portions of the wafer. For example, in one embodiment the deposition control gas contains chemicals, such as hydrogen, that enhance deposition near areas of a wafer such as the frontside peripheral region of a wafer exposed to a mixture of the deposition control gas and process gas, while excluding process gas from other portions such as the backside and edge to prevent unwanted deposition thereon. Since the edge of a wafer may have multiple planar and non-planar, beveled and non-beveled edge surfaces, the term "edge" is intended to encompass all non-frontside, non-backside surfaces.

Referring to the illustrative platen 200 in FIGS. 4-6, integral gas lines and gas grooves are incorporated in platen 200 to facilitate the introduction of deposition control gas from within the platen. An annular gas groove 210 is provided within a peripheral region 211 of the top surface of platen block 202 outside of the outermost annular vacuum groove 208b. The annular groove 210 is rectangular in cross section, measuring 0.093 inches wide and 0.50 inches deep. The inside diameter preferably exceeds the diameter of a wafer being processed and is 7.750 inches and the outside diameter is 7.936 inches. Placing the opening of gas groove 210 beyond the edge of the wafer contact increases the contact surface area between platen block 202 and the wafer, thereby achieving greater thermal uniformity in the wafer.

The gas groove 210 intersects a network of radial gas lines 212a-212j for distributing gas to the backside of the wafer. to be processed. Radial gas lines 212a-212j are shown in hidden lines in FIG. 4, and selectively in cross section in FIG. 5. Lines 212a-212j are radially distributed in the platen block 202 at 36 degree intervals. Each of the bores for the ten gas lines 212a-212j is 0.156 inches in diameter, begins in the vertical edge of the platen block 202 at a distance of 0.262 inches from the top surface of the platen block 202 to the bore centerline, is parallel to the top surface of the platen block 202, and extends sufficiently into the platen block 202 to intersect a respective one of the ten vertical bores for gas lines 216a-216j, which extend from the bottom surface of the platen block 202 (FIG. 5). The gas lines 212a-212j are plugged by respective plugs 218a-218j (see. e.g., plugs 218d and 218i in FIG. 5), which extend 0.25 inches from the outside vertical edge of the platen block 202 to just short of the gas groove 210. The plugs 218a-218j are press fitted into gas grooves 212a-212j. The diameter of the bores for gas lines 216a-216j is 0.125 inches. The total thickness of the platen 200 is 1.694 inches with an outside diameter of 9 inches, although other dimensions may be used to accommodate various factors such as process chamber sizes and wafer sizes.

A second network of radial gas lines 214a-214c is bored in the platen block 202 for distributing backside gas to holes 107a-107c, which accommodate wafer lift pins such as wafer lift pins 20c, 21c and 22c shown in FIG. 2. (Holes 107a-107c, respective index holes 224a-224c (FIG. 6), and index sleeves (not shown) are fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741). Radial gas lines 214a-214c are shown in hidden lines in FIG. 4, and selectively in cross section in FIG. 6. Each of the bores for the three gas lines 214a-214c is 0.156 inches in diameter, begins in the vertical edge of the platen block 202 a distance 0.75 inches from the top surface of the platen block 202 to the bore centerline, is parallel to the top surface of the platen block 202, and extends sufficiently into the platen block 202 to intersect a respective one of the three vertical bores for gas lines 220a-220c, which extend from the bottom surface of the platen block 202 (FIG. 6). The gas lines 214a-214c are plugged by respective plugs 222a-222c (see. e.g.. plug 222a in FIG. 6), which extend 0.25 inches from the outside vertical edge of the platen block 202 to just short of the respective gas lines 220a-220c. The plugs 222a-222c are press fitted into gas lines 214a-214c. The diameter of the bores for gas lines 220a-220c is 0.063 inches.

Holes 107a-107c, which accommodate wafer lift pins such as 20c, 21c and 22c shown in FIG. 2, are 0.187 inches in diameter and pass through platen block 202. Toward the bottom surface of the platen block 202, holes 107a-107c merge into, respectively, index holes 224a-224c, which are 0.312 inches in diameter and provided to receive respective index sleeves (not shown) of a base pedestal such as base pedestals 16b, 16c, or 16d (FIG. 3). The center axes of holes 107a-107c are offset from, respectively, the center axes of holes 224a-224c, to accommodate the eccentricity between holes 107a-107c and index sleeves (not shown). The dimensions of a platen block suitable for accommodating 5 inch wafers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741 with the exception that the inside diameter of gas groove 210 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741 is preferably increased to 5.790 inches and the outside diameter is preferably increased to 5.976 inches.

To further appreciate the function of the deposition control gas when introduced at the platen stations 4a-4e in coordination with the introduction of a process gas at the gas dispersion heads 12a-12e, consider the illustrative platen 200 of FIGS. 4-6. The deposition control gas is introduced through annular groove 210. The volume of deposition control gas furnished to the gas groove 210 is determined based on the desired rate of venting and the effect of the deposition control gas on the wafer frontside deposition.

In one embodiment described in conjunction with illustrative platen 200, the deposition control gas vents from within platens 14a-14e (FIG. 3) into the process chamber 2. In the process chamber 2, the deposition control gas mixes with the process gas and is vented through the vent ports 426a-426f (FIG. 2) and 6a-6f (FIG. 1).

The deposition control gas also vents through the lifting pin holes 107a-107c, to prevent the process gas from reaching the area around the lifting pins and the wafer backside through the lift pin holes 107a-107c.

The deposition control gas is introduced into the interior volume of a pedestal base, such as pedestal base 16b, as discussed in conjunction with-backside gas in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,741. Referring to FIGS. 4-6, from the interior volume of a pedestal base under the platen block 202, the deposition control gas enters gas lines 216a-216j and flows from there to groove 210 through respective gas lines 212a-212j. The deposition control gas also enters gas lines 220a-220c, from which it flows to lift pin holes 107a-107c through respective gas lines 214a-214c. As gas lines 220a-220c are smaller than gas lines 216a-216j, the flow through them is relatively restricted. The deposition control gas is heated both within the volume under the platen block 202 and as it flows through the various gas lines.

A variety of process gases and deposition control gases may be selected. For example, in depositing a tungsten film at a deposition rate of 2000 Å/min, for example, the product reactant WF₆ is used under the reactant conditions of H₂ and Ar at a deposition temperature of 400 degrees C. and an operating pressure of 40 Torr. The WF₆ and H₂ gases are the reactive components of the process. In depositing other films, other process gases with different reactive components may be used. In the apparatus of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the flow of process gas to each of the dispersion heads 12a-12e is on the order of 2-3 standard liters per minute. The actual pressure on the wafer being processed is somewhat greater than 40 Torr because the gas stream from the dispersion head impinges directly on the surface of the wafer. Under these process conditions, a suitable deposition control gas is Argon, Hydrogen, or a mixture of Argon and Hydrogen. The various constituent gases are delivered to and mixed in a suitable manifold, as is well known in the art. The flow of deposition control gas provided to each of the process stations 4a-4e under such conditions ranges from about 300 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) to about 3 standard liters per minute.

Uniformity of deposition near the frontside periphery of the wafers being processed is further improved by mixing a reactive component of the process gas with the selected inert gas or gases to obtain the deposition control gas. In the example of the preceding paragraph in which the product reactant WF₆ is used with the reactive component H₂ and the carrier gas Ar or N₂ or a mixture of Ar and N₂, improved uniformity of edge deposition is obtained by mixing the reactive component H₂ with Ar or N₂ or a mixture of Ar and N₂ to obtain the deposition control gas. The proper proportion of reactive component to inert gas is determined empirically. The process gas mixture (e.g. WF₆ +H₂ +Ar flow ratios and WF₆ +H₂ +Ar total flow) and deposition control gas mixture (e.g. H₂ +Ar flow and H₂ +Ar total flow) are interactively combined and changed to produce the best frontside wafer uniformity while maintaining process gas exclusion from the wafer edge and backside.

Suitable inert gases for use in the deposition control gas mixture include argon, nitrogen, and helium or any suitable combination thereof. An inert gas is any gas that does not react adversely with the materials present in the process chamber 2 and in the gas distribution system, and that does not participate in the chemical reactions involved. Moreover, it is desirable that the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the inert gas be sufficient to achieve good temperature uniformity across the wafers being processed.

The deposition control gas, in some embodiments, is further assisted in excluding process gas from the wafer backside and edge by the use of a structure such as an "exclusion guard" in combination with the introduction of deposition control gas during processing.

One embodiment of an exclusion guard, which is made of any suitable material such as metal or ceramic (including, for example, alumina), is exclusion guard 700 shown in cross section in FIG. 7. Exclusion guard 700 is shown in conjunction with platen 200 although other platen designs may be used as well. In FIG. 7, a wafer such as wafer 402 is held in place on platen block 202 by the radial grooves 206a-206h (hidden), annular grooves 208a-208c, and radial grooves 209a-209q (hidden) of the vacuum chuck. FIG. 7 depicts exclusion guard 700 with a body 702 and an extension 704. The leading inside edge of extension 704 extends over gas groove 210 and is separated from the wafer 402 edge by a restrictive opening 706 between wafer 402 and exclusion guard 700. The thickness of body 704 is one to three times the thickness of wafer 402.

FIG. 8 illustrates a partial cross sectional view of the exclusion guard 700 in FIG. 7. During processing, deposition control gas is introduced in platen block 202 as discussed above. At the deposition control gas flow rates discussed above, restrictive opening 706 serves to equalize the pressure in a plenum formed in part gas groove 210. As a result, deposition control gas flow, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 8, is uniform through restrictive opening 706 into the ambient of process chamber 2 (FIG. 3). This uniform deposition control gas flow denies process gas access to the wafer 402 backside and wholly or partially to the edge of wafer 402, thereby preventing material deposition on these surfaces. Additionally, extension 704 assists in directing the flow of deposition control gas into the ambient of process chamber 2 (FIG. 3).

The dimensions of restrictive opening 706 are related to the flow rate of the deposition control gas. The ratio of deposition control gas flow rate to restrictive opening area is preferably approximately 10 sccm per 1 mm² of restrictive opening area. A preferable width of restrictive opening 706, i.e. the separation distance between extension 704 and the edge of wafer 402, is 0.50 mm. Therefore, the deposition control gas flow rate is preferably approximately 3000 sccm i.e. Area≈π * (200 mm) * (0.50 mm)≈314 mm², and 10 sccm/mm² * 314 mm² ≈3000 sccm. However, the width of restrictive opening 706 may vary depending on the flow rate of the deposition control gas. The length of the restrictive opening is preferably 10 times the width of the restrictive opening to achieve uniform gas flow around the wafer 402 edge. The flow rate of the deposition control gas is also inversely related to the quantity of reactive component present in the deposition control gas. Therefore, when the flow rate is reduced the quantity of a reactive component (e.g. H₂) may be increased to achieve the desired uniformity of deposition on the frontside of wafer 402 and vice versa.

Typically, it is desirable to obtain approximately uniform material deposition on the frdntside of wafer 402 to as close to the edge of wafer 402 as possible. To improve the extent of uniform material deposition on the wafer 402 frontside periphery, the deposition control gas preferably includes one or more reactive components of the process gas as discussed above. The reactive component in the deposition control gas enhances deposition at the wafer 402 periphery to compensate for any process gas flow interference in a region caused by the deposition control gas venting from restrictive opening 706 and the physical presence of a portion of the extension 704 extending over the wafer 402 and present in the flow pattern of the process gas. For example, when depositing W and using H₂ as the reactive component in the deposition control gas, the deposition rate of W (produced by reacting WF₆ with H₂) varies proportionately with the square root of the H₂ concentration e.g. a four times increase in the quantity of H₂ increases the deposition rate of W by a factor of two. Therefore, to enhance the deposition of W by a factor of two at the frontside periphery of a wafer, the H₂ concentration must be increased by a factor of four at the frontside periphery of the wafer. Note that a greater overall concentration of H₂ may be required in the deposition control gas to assure that an increase of four times reaches the wafer frontside periphery. However, when increasing one reactive component in the deposition control gas, for example H₂, a reactive component in the process gas, for example WF₆, is preferably supplied to sustain the kinetically possible deposition rate. Otherwise, the reaction may be "starved" in regions rich in H₂ and deficient in WF₆.

The interference of process gas flow by deposition control gas venting can be minimized by reducing the flow rate of the deposition control gas. However, the flow rate is preferably maintained at approximately 10 sccm per 1 mm² of restrictive opening area which is sufficient to create a uniform pressure region underneath extension 704.

Notice that except for wafer 402 backside portions overlying the vacuum grooves 208a, 208b, and 206a-206h (hidden), the backside of wafer 402 is in full contact with the top surface of platen 200. This large contact facilitates uniform thermal transfer from the platen 202 to the entire wafer 402 backside. Uniform thermal distribution along the wafer 402 backside facilitates uniform thermal distribution along the wafer 402 frontside which enhances approximately uniform deposition of materials across the frontside of wafer 402.

While the dimensions of the exclusion guard 700 are not critical, they are selected in accordance with the dimensions of the wafer 402 and the flow capacity of the deposition control gas delivery system. For example, the dimensions listed in Table 1 for the various wafer sizes are suitable for exclusion guard 700.

                  TABLE 1     ______________________________________     Wafer    Platen      Exclusion Exclusion     Diameter Diameter    guard OD  Guard ID     ______________________________________     8 inches 9 inches    9.125 inches                                    200 mm + x     ______________________________________

Where "x" is in the range of preferably from 1.5 mm to 4.0 mm

Note that in Tables 1-2, "OD" means outside diameter, and "ID" means inside diameter.

In some processes a reduced flow of deposition control gas may not deliver sufficient reactive component(s) to the interference region, so that the extent of uniform deposition may not be as great as desired. Providing orifices in an exclusion guard minimizes deposition control gas interference while preferably increasing the supply of reactive components to the wafer 402 frontside periphery. Referring to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, exclusion guard 700 has been modified to form exclusion guard 900 with orifices, for example holes 902, and extension 903 which extends to within 0.50 mm from the edge of wafer 402. Note that the edge of wafer 402 also extends over gas groove 210. The holes 902 extend from the top surface of exclusion guard 900 at a 45 degree angle, into platen block 905, and to a deposition control gas source. The diameter of holes 902 is 0.079 inches. The total amount of deposition control gas entering the ambient of process chamber 2 equals the amount of deposition control gas flowing through restrictive opening 706 and holes 902. Therefore, the total amount of deposition control gas can be increased in the region of the process chamber 2 over the wafer frontside periphery without increasing the flow rate of deposition control gas through restrictive opening 706. The holes 902 should preferably vent a portion of the deposition control gas into the process chamber 2 (FIG. 3) toward the outside edge of exclusion guard 900 to avoid unnecessarily perturbing the gases in the region of the process chamber 2 over the wafer frontside periphery. Deposition control gas interference with process gas flow is minimized while the supply of reactive gas components to the frontside periphery of wafer 402 is increased thereby facilitating uniform wafer frontside deposition. Other orientations, including holes perpendicular to the top surface of exclusion guard 900 or slanting the holes at an angle in the direction of the wafer frontside center, may be suitable in some applications. The holes 902 may be manufactured by drilling through the top surface of exclusion guard 900, into platen block 905, and into gas groove 210. Platen block 905 is identical to platen block 202 with the exception of the holes 902.

FIG. 10 illustrates a bottom view of exclusion guard 900 with the opening of holes 902 shown as solid circles. There are 180 holes spaced 2 degrees apart. An alignment hole 904 and alignment slot 906 are also shown. The outside edge of exclusion guard 900 preferably has indentations 908 and 910 to accommodate adjacent exclusion guards in process chamber 2.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of a platen block, platen block 1102. Platen block 1102 differs from platen block 202 only in the presence of elevated platform 1104 and extension 1106. Elevated platform 1104 and extension 1106 perform the same function and have the same dimensions as corresponding features of body 702 and extension 704 in FIG. 7. The complete discussion of exclusion guard 700 in conjunction with platen block 202 is otherwise fully applicable. Elevated platform 1104 and/or extension 1106 may be modified to include orifices such as holes as discussed in conjunction with exclusion guard 900 in FIGS. 9 and 10.

Referring to FIG. 12, another exclusion guard embodiment, exclusion guard 1200 is illustrated in conjunction with platen block 202. Exclusion guard 1200 is not shown with an extension but is otherwise similar to exclusion guard 700. Although, exclusion guard 1200 is shown without an extension, one can be provided. A restrictive opening 1204 is formed to restrict the flow of deposition control gas through gas groove 210 and into the ambient of process chamber 2 (FIG. 3). The restrictive opening 1204 is formed by providing a force fit insert 1202 which can be welded into place. Insert 1202 is made of a piece of material with a thermal coefficient of expansion identical to the thermal coefficient of expansion of the platen block material and is annular when used in conjunction with an annular gas groove such as gas groove 210. Additionally, the thickness of the insert 1202 is preferably approximately 10 times the width of the restrictive opening 1204. The width of the restrictive opening is preferably 0.50 mm or less.

During processing, deposition control gas is introduced in platen block 202 as discussed above in conjunction with platen 200. At the deposition control gas flow rates discussed above, restrictive opening 1204 serves to equalize the pressure in a plenum formed in part by gas groove 210. As a result, deposition control gas flow, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 12, is uniform throughout restrictive opening 1204. This uniform deposition control gas flow vents past the edge of wafer 402 at a flow rate, for example 3000 sccm in association with the restrictive opening 1204 width of 0.50 mm, which denies process gas access to the wafer 402 edge and backside, thereby preventing material deposition on these surfaces. The leading edge of exclusion guard 1200 assists in preventing deposition on the wafer backside and wholly or partially on the wafer edge by directing the flow of a portion of the deposition control gas exiting through restriction 1204.

The discussion concerning wafer to platen contact and thermal uniformity in conjunction with exclusion guard 700 is fully applicable to exclusion guard 1200 and platen block 202.

As discussed above, in some processes a reduced flow of deposition control gas may not deliver sufficient reactive component(s) to the interference region, so that the extent of uniform deposition may not be as great as desired. Referring to FIG. 13, another exclusion guard embodiment, exclusion guard 1300 is illustrated. Exclusion guard 1300 has orifices, for example holes 1302, to vent deposition control gas into the ambient of process chamber 2 (FIG. 3). An insert 1306 is attached to an interior wall of gas groove 210 to form a restrictive opening similar to the restrictive opening 1204 formed in association with insert 1202 in FIG. 12. The dimensions, positioning, and advantages of holes 1302 and insert 1306 are identical to those discussed in conjunction with holes 902 in FIGS. 9-10 and FIG. 12, respectively.

The exclusion guards 1200 and 1300 in FIGS. 12 and 13, respectively, can be incorporated as an integral part of the platen i.e. an elevated portion similar to the incorporation of exclusion guard 700 into an integral part of platen 1102 in FIG. 11. Incorporating exclusion guards 1200 and 1300 as integral parts of a platen eliminates the need for a flange 404, guide blocks 718 and 720 (FIG. 7), and an outer portion overhanging the edge of the platen blocks. Referring to FIG. 14, another embodiment of a platen block, platen block 1402 is shown. Platen block 1402 differs from platen block 202 only in the presence of elevated platform 1404. Elevated platform 1404 performs the same function as exclusion guard 1200 in FIG. 12 and is preferably 1-3 times thicker than the thickness of wafer 402. The complete discussion of exclusion guard 1200 in conjunction with platen block 202 is otherwise fully applicable. Insert 1202 is also present to form restrictive opening 1204. Note that the top surface of insert 1202 may alternately be positioned flush with the top of elevated platform 1404 or positioned at an intermediate position. Elevated platform 1404 may be modified to include orifices such as holes as discussed in conjunction with exclusion guard 900 in FIGS. 9 and 10.

Referring to FIG. 15, platen block 202 is illustrated without exclusion guard 1200. As shown by the arrow, deposition control gas flows past the edge of wafer 402 and into the ambient of process chamber 2 (FIG. 3). When restrictive opening 1410 is 0.50 mm and the thickness of insert 1202 is approximately 5 mm, the deposition control gas flow is about 3000 sccm. The deposition control gas effectively prevents material deposition on the backside of wafer 402 and wholly or partially on the edge of wafer 402. The advantages of thermal uniformity at the frontside of wafer 402 as discussed above are also achieved.

An advantage of the platen and exclusion guard embodiments in FIGS. 1-15 is that an exclusion guard lift assembly and shaft hole 7 (FIG. 1) are unnecessary.

Referring to FIG. 16, although the introduction of deposition control gas has been indicated to occur normal to the surface of respective platen blocks as indicated by arrow number 1, other deposition control gas introduction directions and locations may be used. For example, deposition control gas could be introduced from within platen block 1602 between wafer 402 and exclusion guard 1200 through a gas groove at an acute angle as indicated by arrow number 2 or at an approximately 0 degree angle as indicated by arrow number 3. The angle can be optimized based on the flow rate of deposition control gas and the profile of the edge of wafer 402. Platen block 1602 and exclusion guard 1600 may be represented by a variety of platen block designs and exclusion guard designs, respectively, such as platen block 202 and exclusion guard 700.

In a variation, the angle of gas flow is directed by angling the vertical wall forming the restriction opening 706 (FIG. 8). The angle may be toward the wafer or away from it, as desired.

If precise alignment accuracy is desired and is preferable when forming a restrictive opening of 0.50 mm or less between an exclusion guard and an edge of a wafer, the exclusion guards in FIGS. 7-15 may be provided with any suitable type and arrangement of alignment means such as, for example, hole-pin pairs (not shown) or slot-wedge pairs (not shown) provided within the contact region of the exclusion guards within the peripheral region 211 of the platen block 202. Another such alignment means, which is illustrated in FIGS. 7-10, 12, and 13, involves the use of flanges such as 404, which are spaced along the outside edge of the exclusion guards and extend down in such a manner as to engage the outside edge of the respective platen blocks associated with the exclusion guards in FIGS. 7-10, 12, and 13 and compel alignment of the exclusion guards with the respective platen blocks, hence with the wafer 402. The flange members 404 may be tapered as shown to engage progressively the outside edge of the respective platen blocks. An additional alignment means is preferably utilized and includes alignment slot 710 and alignment hole 712 in FIG. 7. Alignment slot 710 and alignment hole 712 are identical to alignment slot 906 and alignment hole 904 in FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 7, guide blocks 718 and 720 with alignment pins 714 and 716, respectively, are fastened to platen block 202 with any suitable fastener such as, for example, bolts 722 and 724, respectively, guide blocks 718 and 720 also include spacers 726 and 728, respectively. The alignment slot 710 and alignment hole 712 in the exclusion guard 700 are mated with alignment pins 714 and 716. Alignment pins 714 and 716 are oriented to insure proper positioning of exclusion guard 700. All of the exclusion guards and platens include the alignment slot and hole and alignment pins, respectively.

As a practical matter, the gas groove may be provided with a slightly lesser diameter than previously described. While the wafer may overhang part of the gas groove so that temperature uniformity may be slightly affected, this is of little practical concern since deposition at the edge is poor due to the wafer edge bevel.

While our invention has been described with respect to the embodiments and variations set forth above, these embodiments and variations are illustrative and our invention is not to be considered limited in scope to these embodiments and variations. For example, the various shapes and dimensions and the various flow rates and pressures set forth herein are illustrative, and other shapes, dimensions, flow rates, and pressures may also be effective for the intended purpose. Also, features such as the platen blocks, exclusion guards, gas grooves and lines, and vacuum grooves and lines discussed herein may be scaled to accommodate varying wafer sizes. Moreover, the deposition process discussed herein is illustrative, and other processes may also be effective for the intended purpose. Furthermore, while certain dimensions and locations of restrictive openings and deposition control gas composition have been described in conjunction with the various platen blocks and exclusion guards, it will be appreciated that the dimensions and locations of restrictive openings and deposition control gas composition may be varied in order to obtain uniform deposition control gas flow around the periphery of a wafer and uniform material deposition on the frontside of the wafer. Moreover, in all exclusion guard and platen cases, an additional restrictive opening can be incorporated within the platen itself to achieve more uniform distribution of gas to all points at the wafer periphery. Accordingly, other embodiments and variations not described herein are to be considered within the scope of our invention as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of using chemical vapor deposition to deposit a film of material on a semiconductor wafer in a process chamber, the process chamber comprising a platen for supporting the wafer and a gas groove formed in the platen, the method comprising:placing the semiconductor wafer on the platen; providing an exclusion guard in the process chamber, the exclusion guard having an extension with an inside surface which is spaced approximately uniformly apart from an edge of the wafer so as to form a restrictive opening between a plenum and the process chamber, the plenum being formed at least in part by the gas groove; introducing a process gas into the process chamber so as to cause a gas reaction to occur and a film of material thereby to be deposited on a surface of the wafer; introducing a deposition control gas into the plenum; and causing the deposition control gas to flow from the plenum through the restrictive opening and into the process chamber.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein introducing the deposition control gas comprises equalizing the pressure in the plenum.
 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising causing the deposition control gas to flow through holes in the exclusion guard and in flow communication with the gas groove.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the deposition control gas to flow comprises causing the deposition control gas to flow through the restrictive opening at a rate of approximately 10 sccm per 1 mm² of the area of the restrictive opening.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the exclusion guard is an integral portion of the platen.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the exclusion guard is a ring separate from the platen.
 7. The method of claim 1wherein the gas groove separates an interior region of the platen from an exterior region of the platen.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein a portion of the exclusion guard projects over a portion of the gas groove.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein a portion of the wafer projects over a portion of the gas groove.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the width of the restrictive opening, as defined by the spacing between the inside surface of the extension and the edge of the wafer, is approximately 0.50 mm.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the ratio between the length of the restrictive opening and the width of the restrictive opening, the width being defined by the spacing between the wafer edge and the inside surface of the extension, is approximately 10 to
 1. 12. The method of claim 1 further comprising heating the deposition control gas before it passes through the restrictive opening.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein the platen includes a region circumscribing the wafer, and the exclusion guard is disposed on the circumscribing platen region.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein introducing a deposition control gas includes introducing the deposition control gas through a network of gas lines disposed within the platen.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the deposition control gas includes argon and the process gas includes tungsten.
 16. The method of claim 1 further comprising securing the wafer to the platen with a vacuum chuck, the vacuum chuck being disposed within the platen and having a network of grooves in an interior region of the platen.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the platen includes an exterior region circumscribing the interior region and holes extending through an exterior region and in flow communication with the gas groove, and the method includes causing the deposition control gas to flow from the gas groove through the holes and into the process chamber.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the exclusion guard is ceramic.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the deposition control gas is introduced at a flowrate in the range of 300 standard cubic centimeters per minute to 3 standard liters per minute.
 20. A method of using chemical vapor deposition to deposit a film of material on a semiconductor wafer in a process chamber, the process chamber comprising a platen for supporting the wafer and an gas groove surrounding an interior region of the platen, the method comprising:placing the semiconductor wafer on the interior region of the platen; fixing an insert against a first wall of the gas groove, the insert having a surface which is spaced approximately uniformly apart from a second wall of the gas groove so as to form a restrictive opening between a plenum and the process chamber, the plenum being formed at least in part by the gas groove; introducing a process gas into the process chamber so as to cause a gas reaction to occur and a film of material thereby to be deposited on a surface of the wafer; introducing a deposition control gas into the plenum; and causing the deposition control gas to flow from the plenum through the restrictive opening and into the process chamber.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein introducing the deposition control gas comprises equalizing the pressure in the plenum.
 22. The method of claim 20 wherein the gas groove separates the interior region of the platen from an exterior region of the platen.
 23. The method of claim 20 wherein the width of the restrictive opening, as defined by the spacing between the surface of the insert and the second wall of the gas groove, is approximately 0.50 mm.
 24. The method of claim 20 wherein the ratio between the length of the restrictive opening and the width of the restrictive opening, the width being defined by the spacing between the surface of the insert and the second wall of the gas groove, is approximately 10 to
 1. 25. The method of claim 20 wherein the insert is fixed to an outside wall of the gas groove.
 26. The method of claim 20 wherein the insert is fixed to an inside wall of the gas groove.
 27. The method of claim 20 wherein the gas groove is an annular groove circumscribing the interior region.
 28. The method of claim 20 further comprising restraining the wafer with a vacuum chuck disposed in the interior region of the platen.
 29. The method of claim 20 further comprising maintaining a backside of the wafer in substantially in full contact with the interior region of the platen.
 30. The method of claim 20 wherein the process gas includes a product reactant and the deposition control gas includes the product reactant and an inert gas.
 31. The method of claim 30 wherein the product reactant is hydrogen and the inert gas is argon.
 32. The method of claim 20 wherein the process gas includes tungsten.
 33. The method of claim 20 wherein causing the deposition control gas to flow comprises causing the deposition control gas to flow through the restrictive opening at a rate of approximately 10 sccm per 1 mm² of the area of the restrictive opening.
 34. The method of claim 20 wherein the deposition control gas includes a process gas component.
 35. The method of claim 20 further comprising:heating the deposition control gas before it passes through the restrictive opening.
 36. The method of claim 20 wherein the deposition control gas includes argon.
 37. The method of claim 36 wherein the deposition control gas further includes hydrogen. 